Hillsborough County Public Schools salary schedule: how teachers move to a higher column

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How is the Hillsborough teacher salary schedule organized?

Section 18.1.4 says salary and supplements follow the negotiated schedules in Appendix C. For 2026-2027 those are:

• Schedule A (SCHDA) and Schedule B (SCHDB), both labeled "For employees hired prior to July 1, 2013." Each has four degree columns, Bachelor's, Master's, Specialist and Doctorate, with an hourly and annual rate for Levels 1 through 28.
• Schedule E (SCHDE) and Schedule G (SCHDG), for employees hired prior to July 1, 2015, and Schedule P (SCHDP) and Schedule Q (SCHDQ), for employees hired after July 1, 2015. These have one rate per row, keyed to "completed years of creditable teaching experience" from E00 to E25, and no degree columns.
• Separate Student Services schedules, and a new School Psychologist Advanced Degree Salary Schedule of 205 days. Section 2.1.1 sets the ten-month teacher year at 198 days.

Movement down the schedule comes from the yearly economic agreement. The 2026-2027 agreement, made September 11, 2026, credits one year of experience and one step from July 1, 2026 to employees who worked half a year plus a day and earned an effective evaluation for 2025-2026, and adds one-time payments for those already at the top. The contract does not explain how Schedule A differs from B, or E from G and P from Q, so ask Human Resources which one you are on. For reading a two-axis grid like A and B, see how to read a salary schedule.

Do graduate-level courses raise pay at Hillsborough?

Only once they finish a degree. Appendix C pays nothing for credit hours short of a degree; the "2026-2027 Advanced Degree Supplements" table lists three annual amounts, for a master's, a specialist and a doctorate. The note under it reads: "Effective July 1, 2024, instructional employees will be eligible for the Advanced Degree Supplement regardless of certification area."

That sentence is broader than the state statute. Section 1012.22 lets a district count an advanced degree on its salary schedule when the degree is held in the individual's area of certification. The contract states the bargained rule and the statute states the legal limit; the Division of Human Resources decides each request. A teacher choosing a program outside every certification area should get the district's answer in writing first. On the older Schedules A and B, a degree change moves the teacher into the matching degree column under section 18.1.1. For how districts judge whether coursework counts, read units that count.

Does Hillsborough require approval before you take a course?

Hillsborough's contract offers no form for clearing a degree program, or a course taken on your own time, in advance. Approval arises in two narrower places. Study leave under section 12.17.1 lets ten-month teachers take college summer sessions in an education-related area during pre- or post-planning; the request goes on the Request for Leave of Absence form with the college brochure attached, and section 12.17.2 requires a transcript afterward. Twelve-month staff may receive up to three weeks of paid professional leave for study under 12.17.4, capped at six weeks in five years. For everything else the check comes at the end, when Human Resources records the transcript. Will my district accept it? covers what to ask before you enroll.

When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?

No annual cutoff appears in the contract, but two clauses govern timing and they read a little differently:

• Section 18.1.1 says a degree change during the school year takes effect "as of the original date the higher degree was conferred," and that no salary change is made until an official transcript is received and recorded in the Division of Human Resources.
• The Appendix C supplement note makes the supplement retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year in which transcripts arrive, or to the award date, whichever is later.

Read together, a degree finished in one fiscal year and reported in the next can lose the gap. Sending the official transcript as soon as the degree posts avoids that. More on timing in transcript deadlines.

Do the same units count toward Florida license renewal?

Article 16, "Certification and Renewal Procedure," leaves renewal to the teacher: section 16.1.1 says keeping the certificate active is the individual's responsibility, with the Office of Certification helping with forms and processing. A renewed or upgraded certificate must be registered with that office within 30 days of receipt (16.1.2). Rule 6A-4.0051 sets the state floor: across a validity period of no more than five years, a teacher needs 120 inservice points or six college semester hours, converted at 20 points to the hour, with some of it in every subject on the certificate and one hour's worth addressing students with disabilities. Teachers placed out of field face a faster clock under 16.3.1: six semester or eight quarter hours toward the new subject, graded C or higher, or else a passing score on the subject exam, all inside 12 months. A degree can therefore earn the supplement and cover renewal, while loose courses serve renewal alone. The renewal requirements on the Florida page spell out the point rules, and the Florida overview places Hillsborough beside its neighbors.

Where can Hillsborough teachers earn graduate-level units?

Every district, Hillsborough included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: license renewal, an added endorsement or a degree program. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from Hillsborough's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.

Hillsborough pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a Hillsborough salary on their own (see units that count). Where graduate-level units still help is license renewal, explained in the renewal section, and any other purpose Hillsborough or Florida names in writing.

Graduate-level credit providers, listed with the same facts

For renewal, or for a future move to a district that pays for units, many providers issue graduate-level units through accredited universities. Providers listed on this site, each with the same facts:

• Teacher Friendly: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $336 first course for 3 credits (price notes)
• Credits for Educators: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $297 for 3 credits (price notes)
• CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 for 3 credits (price notes)
• Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
• Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 for 3 credits (price notes)
• VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 for 3 credits (price notes)

The provider directory lists 28 providers and programs by what teachers need them for, and Compare sets published prices for 16 of them side by side, with transcripts from 11 universities. A listing on this site does not mean Hillsborough has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.

Sources

1. Instructional Contract, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029, with 2026-2027 salary schedules and economic agreement, School Board of Hillsborough County and Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (union-hosted copy). Checked November 11, 2026
2. Contracts page, Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association. Checked November 11, 2026
3. Florida Statutes 1012.22, Florida Senate text. Checked November 11, 2026
4. Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-4.0051. Checked November 11, 2026

Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error